Mass Effect: Andromeda, What You're Missing And What To Look For In Bioware’s Thriller Universe

Following years of anticipation, BioWare's latest epic, Mass Effect: Andromeda, has just launched. As with all Mass Effect games, Andromeda is ambitious, complex, and rewarding, so expect to sink dozens of hours into it at the very least.

Andromeda marks a brand-new chapter for the Mass Effect series, with this game's story mostly disjointed from the previous entries in the series. That was to be expected, as the ending of Mass Effect 3 painted storytellers into a corner. If you haven't played the previous games, and are thus worried about diving into this one first, don't worry. This is a fresh start for everyone.

Reviews for Andromeda have so far been mostly positive, although the game has launched with a number of bugs that have been well documented over the past week. Notably, the game's facial animations are often a bit off, making it almost unnerving to look at. Fortunately for the game, it offers a lot of other great content that can help take your mind off its shortcomings.

One of the best things you could do when playing is to really pay attention to all of your options. The game allows you to store four different profiles at once, for example, saving the effort of swapping individual gear pieces all of the time. That knowledge alone can help cut down on tedium.

Another important thing to bear in mind is that Andromeda is an open-world game that makes use of the landmass available. It pays to explore, and effectively check every nook and cranny. Not all chests look the same, so be thorough!

For those playing the game on the PC, NVIDIA offers you a special treat in the form of Ansel. With this advanced screenshot tool, you can break away from your character to position and orientate your camera as you see fit. You can also apply filters, all in the name of digital art. Andromeda is one of the few Ansel-supported titles that supports its super high-rez feature, which would allow you to capture screenshots at incredible resolutions (think 1080p x 20), and it also allows you to capture scenes in 360°, for later viewing in VR.

If you're a diehard Mass Effect fan, it probably goes without saying that you'll be playing Andromeda. For most others, it might be best to hold off for the time-being, to see if some of the launch bugs get ironed out soon. But those who are able to look past those bugs are still likely to enjoy the heck out of this game - after all, this is the first Mass Effect in a half decade!